Regardless that it was my day without work, I showered and dressed to go to work, donning the emotional armor of my favourite darkish purple quarter zip shirt with the gymnasium’s brand over my coronary heart. Earlier than I left the house, I ate strawberry Pop-Tarts, my model of the breakfast of champions. I sipped espresso on my drive with no music on the radio as a result of all I might take into consideration was what proverbial bomb was about to go off in my life.

For months, I knew my boss, Amy, was going to promote the gymnasium, however she’d by no means really mentioned something to me about who would possibly change her. However nonetheless, as I took the acquainted path to work, the place I’d invested each ounce of my coronary heart for the reason that day she employed me to handle the place, I had a sinking suspicion that my premonition was about this place that was so expensive to me.

My headlights minimize a swath by way of the empty car parking zone in entrance of the low, sq. constructing that housed the gymnasium. As a substitute of pulling round to the again the place I usually parked, I made a decision to come back by way of the entrance.

I locked the door behind me and punched the safety code because it beeped on the wall. The gymnasium was darkish after I walked in, which suited me simply fantastic. I’d memorized each inch of the place years earlier, so the weak gentle of the dawn was greater than sufficient for me to navigate again to my workplace.

If I might keep busy sufficient, with the containers of merchandise I wanted to unpack and show, the coaching schedule I wanted to finalize, and the timecards I wanted to complete, perhaps I might ignore the unhealthy juju feeling.

I took a sip of my espresso and stretched my free arm over my head with a wince. Went just a little too onerous at school the day earlier than, and I groaned loudly when my muscle tissue screamed in protest on the motion.

The groan is what had the door to Amy’s workplace opening, the sunshine of her small nook lamp illuminating the house. The shades had been drawn over the glass that regarded out over the gymnasium, which I hadn’t seen earlier. Amy’s head popped out. “Iz. You’re right here like, actually early.”

I finished, my coronary heart starting to tumble over every thudding beat. “Why do you look nervous about the truth that I’m?”

I’d labored for her and recognized her for too lengthy to tiptoe round something.

Amy sighed, her face falling in a glance that had my abdomen falling too. She’d been my boss and recognized me too lengthy to tiptoe round me. This was it. As quickly as she regarded over her shoulder and spoke to somebody in her workplace, I knew this was the factor I’d been dreading.

A brand new proprietor.

A brand new boss.

However that dread was nothing on how I felt when Amy turned again to me and gave me an apologetic smile. It was the apology I noticed that set my coronary heart hammering.

My pores and skin felt too tight and my bones too massive as a result of I knew whoever was in that workplace was the factor … the sensation I’d had.

Immediately, I needed to run. I didn’t wish to face no matter—whoever—it was.

Amy’s darkish eyes searched my face. “I used to be going to do that tomorrow a bit extra formally, however I had a sense your ass would present up in your day without work.”

“I wanted to unpack these containers,” I mentioned, however my voice trailed off when she moved apart, and he crammed the doorway.

Holy. Fucking. Hell. It was even worse than I believed. Like all of the issues that terrified me had been rolled into one massive, muscular, better-looking-in-person bundle despatched to make me really feel wildly uncontrolled.

I hated that I used to be proper, that my sleepless night time had certainly warned me that one thing like this was going to occur. I knew what merchandise within the field had known as to me, and oh, my hell, now I needed to shred it to bits simply so I might fake it didn’t exist.

It will be fantastic, I advised myself.

This was no place for the teenage model of Isabel, the one who’d been just a little unsure and lots fearful of what individuals considered me. I used to be not her anymore. It doesn’t matter what was in that fucking field together with his title on it.

It was the one cause I didn’t watch the place I used to be strolling, and my foot caught on the sting of the ropes.

With a pant, I pitched ahead, my espresso falling with a moist slap onto the bottom, my hand dripping from the mess that was left of my cup after I squashed it to loss of life in my arms.

“I’m so sorry,” I mentioned.

Amy laughed. “That is the unflappable Isabel Ward I used to be telling you about.”

My face burned, however she leaned over to toss me a towel, which I used to wipe off my hand, and toss it over the spot of espresso that I’d undoubtedly be mopping up in a couple of minutes. As I pushed the towel across the mess with my foot, I felt his gaze on me. Rigorously, I lifted my head to fulfill it head-on. See if I used to be able to it.

This might.

Not.

Be.

Taking place.

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